The most widely used method for closing skin wounds are stitches. Stitches are generally hand-sewn through the skin to close the wound and hold it in place for healing purposes. Many different materials are used for stitches. However, stitches suffer from several disadvantages. First, they are labor intensive since they must be hand-sewn into the individual's skin. Secondly, stitches require a certain degree of manual dexterity on the part of the physician in order to close the wound in such a manner as to minimize the scar which will result. Third, stitches must eventually be removed, usually requiring an additional visit to the doctor's office.
Another method for closing wounds involves the use of staples to close a wound. While staples may be advantageous in certain applications, they require specialized equipment and are difficult to remove from the patient.
Other devices for closing wounds are disclosed in the prior art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,836 (Niebel, et al.) issued on July 16, 1968, there is disclosed a surgical strip stitch wherein an inverted U-shaped member has flexible adhesive strips attached on the extremities thereof for attachment to the skin on either side of a wound which is bridged by the U-shaped member. Skin-engaging projections extend inwardly from each side wall of the U-shaped member and have blunt end portions adapted to clamp the edges of a wound together in a peak therebetween.
Another wound-closure device is disclosed in U S. Pat. Nos. 4,526,173 and 4,702,251 issued on July 2, 1985 and Oct. 27, 1987, respectively. These wound-closure devices comprise a pair of attachment members adapted to be positioned along either side of a wound to be closed. In one embodiment, the device includes a plurality of pins associated with the attachment members for the purpose of urging the dermis on either side of the wound together. In another embodiment, a bridge is provided to hold the two attachment members in abutting alignment to close a wound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,990 (Stivala) issued on Sept. 10, 1985, discloses a sutureless closure system having fabric-backed plates positioned along the side edges of a wound. Arcuate-shaped clips bridge the wound between the plates and contain downwardly extending pins at each end which penetrate the fabric, not the skin, to form a secure anchor for the bridge.
There exists a need in the art for a simple mechanical device which can close a wound. Further, there is a need in the art for a mechanical device for closing wounds which can be removed by the patient, at home, once the wound has healed. Finally, there is a need in the art for a device which will securely close a wound so as to minimize the formation of scar tissue during the wound-healing process.